Barstool Sports is now the broadcaster and presenting sponsor of the Arizona Bowl in a deal that almost didn’t include the former. Barstool founder Dave Portnoy discussed details of the negotiation on this week’s The Dave Portnoy Show with Eddie & Co.
Portnoy says Barstool originally wanted to just sponsor the game, while CBS handled the broadcast duties, but that didn’t sit well with everyone involved.
“CBS won’t work with us? Kick them the f*ck out, get those f*ckin white-haired…get them out, we’ll do the game ourselves,” Portnoy said on his show.
“Not because they didn’t like us,” Portnoy continued. “I think they know we’re gonna eat their lunch, and they view us as a competitor. Do you wanna give the hungry wolf fresh meat? Do you want to basically put steroids in your competitor?”
The bowl airs on New Year’s Eve in a matchup between the Mountain West and Mid-American Conference. Barstool has been a staunch supporter of #MACtion and all things MAC sports for years.
CEO Erika Nardini is the yin to Portnoy’s yang, and she discussed the milestone deal in an interview this week.
“We really believe that what we can do is take the best of traditional broadcast and take the best of traditional sponsorship and do both in a brand new way,” Barstool CEO Erika Nardini said in an interview with Sportico. “We think we’ll bring new fans. We know we will bring a level of energy, and we’ll cover the game in a way that is completely unique, and uniquely Barstool.”
For Nardini and Barstool, this is just another step towards growth in every possible entertainment space, including TV.
“There’s no reason we can’t play in the broadcast space, the sponsorship space, and the comedy or personality and opinion space,” she continued. “Obviously, we want to make sure we do it right and do it well, but this is a watershed moment for rethinking where and how games are broadcast.”